Steinaecker's Horsemen: South Africa 1899-1903

A nice First Edition copy of this fascinating and rare book about Steinaecker's Horsemen, a hard bunch of seasoned bushmen who performed an important role in the disruption of Boer supply lines during the Anglo-Boer war in South Africa. The maverick commander of this unit, Francis Christiaan Ludwig von Steinaecker, was a flamboyant and eccentric character; a former Prussian officer who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. They were spread out throughout Swaziland and the Transvaal Lowveld and patrolled the border with Portuguese East Africa. Many were Australians. With many vintage photographs as well as maps. From the Dust Jacket: "From 1899 to 1902 the Anglo-Boer War enveloped South Africa in a melee of gunfire, flame, death and disease. In this conflict an important British war aim was the severing of Boer resupply from, and easy contact with, the outside world. This aim proved to be the genesis of one of the most extraordinary units in British military history. here was a unique mix of frontiersmen--hunters, pioneers, stock riders, miners, timber men, transport operators, bush storekeepers and a host of others--good and bad. Most were South Africans but a great many were from Australia, while others came from the far flung corners of the British Empire and beyond and they also worked with a large number of loyal local blacks. Their officers were every bit as colorful as the men were. Most had come up through the ranks and nearly all had been hardened to the wiles of the African Veldt. During the period between mid 1900 and 1902, in addition to their Boer enemy, these men had to contend with the worst maneaters in the wilds of Africa and the most dreaded tropical and subtropical diseases of man and beast. One source states that they lost 12 men to lions and crocodiles while their ranks were also decimated by malaria. Here is the story of that band of horsemen known as Steinaecker's Horse, who rode the Transvaal Lowveld and Swaziland during those...